Brick-machine



(No Model.) I 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' J. G. AN'DERSQN.

BRICK MAoHngE. No. 406,414. I "Pa/tented July 9, 1889;

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(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3. J. C. ANDERSON. BRICK MAGHINE.

Patented July 9, 1889.

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J. O.- ANDERSON.

BRIGK MACHINE.

No. 406,414. Patehted July 9, 1889.

v Wu UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC JAMES C. ANDERSON, OF HIGHLAND PARK,ILLINOIS.

BRICK-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 406,414, dated July 9,I889.

Application filed April 19, 1888. $erial No. 271,193. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES C. ANDERSON, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Highland Park, in the county of Lake and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machinesfor Molding or Pressing Bricks and Blocks from Clay, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawings.

My invention relates to machines for molding bricks, blocks, &c., fromdry clay powder, and has for its object the production of bricks,blocks, conduits, columns, 850., made up of thin slabs of clay powderpressed into form and joined into larger blocks or sections, sucharticles being secured to me by various patents, among which may beenumerated No. 348,443, August 31, 1886, Nos. 351,612 and 351,615, ofOctober 26, 1886, and No. 379,926, of March 27, 1888.

In the patents above referred to I have described and claimed brick orblocks made of two or more kinds of clay arranged in layers and pressedinto compact form in a dry state, which, when burned, will presentlayers of different colors or a brick made of clay of two differentkinds, the face layer being of a better quality than the main body ofthe brick,

both clays being united or pressed into form while in a dry and powderedcondition. I have also described and claimed in the patents abovereferred to a brick having a facing-piece of one kind of clay, saidfacingpiece being joined to the other part of the brick by means of alayer of vitrifiable mateterial. I have also described and claimed inpatents above referred to conduits, pavingblocks, &c., such conduits andblocks being made up of a series of thin slabs of dry clay powder, suchslabs being secured together into one body by an intervening vitreousmaterial.

The present mechanism is devised fol-pressing the dry clay into thinslabs and for applying the vitrifiable material or slip for joining theslabs into sections in one continuous operation, which will be morefully hereinafter described.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side and the moistening-rollsin an elevated posiv tion. Fig. 5 is a front view of the devices shownin Figs. 3 and 4. Fig. 6 is a side view of the slip-rolls, with theratchet-wheel and disk for holding the rolls from contact with theblock. Fig. 7 is a front view of a portion of the slip-rolls. Fig. 8 isa side view of the devices shown in Fig. 6, with the disks for holdingthe roll from contact with the clay in position. Fig. 9 is a front viewof the charger.

In an application filed by me of even date herewith, Serial No. 271,192,I have shown, described, and claimed an open-ended molding-chamber inwhich the impingement or friction of the newly-formed brick in theirpassage through the mold-chamber forms the resistance to the thrust ofthe plunger necessary to press the brick into form, and also devices bywhich a layer of wet clay is deposited on the face edge of said brickbefore it leaves the machine.

In this application I have shown the general mechanism embraced in theapplication above referred to, and also the open-ended molds orcompression-chamber.

A indicates the sides of the machine, which are secured together in asubstantial manner by cross bars or ties B.

O is a shaft mounted in suitable bearings V in the sides of the machine,said shaft being provided with a band-pulley D, by which.

motion to the shaft K, on which it is mounted. I

Each end of the shaft K is provided with cams L, which work in yokes M,adapted to slide back and forth in suitable guides N, se-

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cured to the sides of the machine, the plungers being secured to theyokes M and worked back and forth by the cams L, as heretofore stated.The cams L fit snugly within the yokes, and are so formed andconstructed as to have a constant bearing upon the yokes, to properlytime and operate the plungers for alternately exerting pressure in eachdirection at each revolution of the shaft K.

The mold cavities or chamber P are supported by the brackets or tablesR, and are open at their rear ends to allow the blocks to be pushed outonto the tables R.

S are the clay receptacles or spouts located above the moldschamber, thetops of the mold-chambers forming the bottoms of the clay receptacles orspouts. One side of the lower end of the feed-spout is open, so as toallow the clay to enter the charger T, one side of said charger beingclosed by the plate V when said charger is receiving its load of clay.The lower end of the plates V are provided with apertures \V, throughwhich the plungers operate to force the clay out of the charger andcompress itagainst the previously-formed brick or block in themoldchamber P. The chargers T are adapted to work up and down insuitable guideways formed between the clay-spout S and plate V and infront of the molding or compression chambers P, said chargers beingoperated by the devices which will now be described.

A are disks or projections secured to the shaft K on each side of thegear-wheel I, said disks being provided with cam-grooves B. (See dottedlines in Fig. 1.)

Care shafts mounted in suitable bearings in the sides A of the machine,the inner ends of said shafts being provided with crank-arms D. Theouter ends of the crankarms D are provided with studs (1, which projectinto the cam-grooves B, said studs being provided with suitablefriction-wheels to prevent the parts from wearing away too rapidly, andalso to allow the parts to work more readily. The outer ends of theshafts C are provided with crank-arms E, having toothed sectors F attheir outer ends, which engage with teeth formed on the bars G. The barsG are secured to the upper ends of the chargers T and work in suitableguides 1), formed on the sides of the machine.

It will be noticed that as the shaft K revolves the cams B operate onthe levers and shafts just described to raise and lower the chargers,and by which means the clay is brought down in front of the mold-boxesor compression-chainbers to be operated uponby th'e plungers.

i It will be understood that a short vibratory motion is given to theplungers U by the cams L, which causes the plungers to enter andwithdraw from the chargers T alternately, compressing each of thechargesof clay powder into thin slabs, and driving the said slabsforward into the mold-chamber P to a point to register with and be evenwith the end of the mold-chamber, so as to admit of the upward movementof the charger and allow the rolls 1 to moisten or deposit the cementingmaterial onto the side of the newly-formed block, which takes place ateach ascending and descending movement of the charger. It,

will also be understood that in molding these thin slabs, where thepressure is applied separately to each of the slabs in detail, I use anintervening slip to cause the respective slabs to adhere to each other.This slip is by preference made of clay and water mixed to about theconsistency of milk; or I may add one or more of the clay fluxes to thesolution for lowering the burning-point or increasing the vitreousqualities of the bodies; or by moistening the side of the blockpreviously molded the other part will adhere thereto and the jointitself will be rendered more vitreous than the main body after theburning has taken place.

The devices by which I apply the cementing material will now bedescribed.

II are arms or brackets pivoted at each side of the charger and in whichthe shafts i are mounted.

I and K are rolls loosely mounted on the shafts A, said rolls beingcovered with felt or other suitable material which will absorb andspread the slip, and are so mounted in their bearings that theirperipheries touch each other.

L is a tank for holding the slip or other cementing material mounted onsuitable sup ports below the front ends of the molds orcompression-ehambers P, and in such relation to the charger that thelower roll K will enter the water or slip in the tank L when the chargeris in its lowest position. The slip which is absorbed by the roll K istransmitted to the roll I by capillary attraction and by the turning ofthe roll I as it comes in contact with the face of the newly-formedbrick. This causes the roll Kto revolve also, and evenly wets or coatsthe surface of the roll I with the slip from the tank L. l/Vhen it isdesired not to cementtherespective slabs together, or when a suflicientnumber of slabs have been joined to complete the section or block of thelength desired, the roll is kept from contact with the face of theblock, so that no cementing material is applied and no bond or unionwill take place between the block and the next slab molded.

I do not wish to limit myself to the abovedescribed devices fordepositing the slip or other cementing material betweeneaeh layer ofpressed clay, as it is obvious other devices may be employed withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention, or the slip may be depositedby hand while the charger is in an upward position.

I will now describe the devices by which the series of clay slabs maybeseparated into blocks of any desired size,

M is a ratchet-wheel mounted on the shaft IIO R is a pawl adjustablysecured to the sides of the mold-chambers, said pawl being held inengagement'with the ratchet-wheel M by means of the spring S, a stud orpin T being secured in front of the pawl R to prevent it from gettingout of position.

When the charger in its movement downward to the compression-chamberreaches a point near the bottom of its stroke, the pawl R engages withthe ratchet-wheel M and moves it one step in its revolution; and whensaid ratchet-wheel has made one revolution the projecting portion P willcome in contact with the edge of the mold-chamber and prevent the roll Ifrom coming in contact with the previously-formed slab, as shown in Fig.8. This prevents the roll from depositing the slip on the brick exposedin the end of the compression-chamber and prevents the slabs at thispoint from becoming joined or cemented together. The adjustment of thepawl R enables me to move the ratchet-wheel M and disk 0 a greater orless distance, and thus make the blocks of any desired size-1i. 6., withthree, four, or fi-ve or more clay slabs in each block, as occasion mayrequire.

One import-ant feature of my invention is that the movement or travel ofthe plungers for compressing the clay is shortened by this mechanism tosuch an extent as to increase largely the force and output of themachine; and I have utilized the backward motion, which has heretoforebeen lost, in compressing a charge of clay, as well as in the forwardmovement of said plunger, whereby each revolution of the cam-shaft ismade to dodouble duty, and the other end of the camshaft is made to dodutyin a like manner, and the machine is capable of making four sets ofblocks at each revolution of the cam-shaft.

The charger is made to receive the charge of clay from the spout abovethe mold-box or compression-chamber, so that in carrying the said chargeof clay downward the drag upon the body of clay within the spout and thegravity will cause the upper edge of the charger to be fully filled, andthus insure equal solidity to the top part of the slab when molded,which would not be the case if the charge were taken in from the sidesor from beneath the compression-chamber.

hat I claim is 1. A machine for making large bodies and shapes fromclay, in which the compressionplungers press a thin slab of clay onto aseries of similar slabs or layers in an openended mold, and rolls ordescribed equivalents for' depositing a layer or film of slip orvitrifiable or cementing material between each slab, as set forth.

2. In a machine for making blocks of a series of thin clay slabs, anopen-ended moldchamber, a feed-charger working in front of themold-chamber, and a plunger working into and through the charger topress the clay and compact it against the previously-formed blocks inthe compression-chamber, as set forth.

3. In a machine for making blocks, columns, &c., of a series of thinclay slabs, an open-ended mold-chamber, a charger working in front ofthe mold-chamber, said charger being provided with rolls for depositinga slip between the layers or slabs, and a plunger working into andthrough the charger to I press the clay therefrom and compact it againstthe previously-formed blocks in the compression-chamber, as set forth.

4. In a machine of the character described, the clay spouts or chamberslocated above the compression-chamber and communicating with thevertically-moving charger at the side thereof, the plate V for closingone side of the charger, and devices, substantially as described, formoving the charger up and down in front of the compression-chamber, asset forth.

5. The shafts C, having the crank-arms -D, adapted to engage cam-groovesB, and with the arms E, having the toothed sectors F to engage therack-bars G of the chargers, whereby said chargers are moved up and downin front of the compression-chambers.

6. In a machine of the character described, the clay-charger T, incombination with the rolls 1 and K and the slip-trough L, whereby a filmor layer of slip is deposited on the face of the newly-formed slab ateach movement of the charger, as set forth.

7. The ratchet-wheel lWI and disk P, mounted 011 the shaft of theslip-roll I, in combination with the pawls N and R, whereby, when theratchet-wheel and disk have made one revolution, the roll I will be heldfrom contact with the clay slab and the block separated at this point.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.J. O. ANDERSON. Witnesses:

L. W. SINSABAUGH, J. C. STODDARD.

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